Dowell man fights a different kind of opioid battle

John Luberda of Dowell, shown here holding "Dinger," a 15-yeaer-old Mexican Chihuahua, has been battling pain for several years the result of multiple surgeries.John Homan photo

Here, Luberda needs a walker to help navigate a path in his home, as well as to-and-from his car.John Homan photo

BY JOHN HOMANManaging Editorjhoman@localsouthernnews.com

Posted on 9/6/2019, 7:58 AM

DOWELL -- John Luberda says he is a victim of the system. He is someone who needs opioids to combat long-term back and hip pain, as well as pancreatitis. He said he is not someone who tries to score opioids for a high. His need for pain meds is legitimate.

Yet because of a nationwide crackdown on opioid abuse the last couple of years, Luberda maintains he is falling through the cracks. His pain meds are not as accessible as they were before -- even under a physician's care. And he claims that the drug that helps make his pain tolerable each day -- Tramadol, a narcotic that treats moderate to severe pain -- will not be made available to him much longer. At least not regularly.

"My doctor sympathizes with me, but her hands are tied by the government. I'm due to come off the drug sometime in October," Luberda said. "And that could be a death sentence for me. Without that drug, I'm in pain pretty much 24/7."

An alternative treatment might be a pain pump if he qualifies for such. But Luberda pointed out that a pain pump, while taking care of one problem, would make him vulnerable to another. The installation of a pain pump in his back would increase his risk of osteomyelitis -- a rare, but serious bone infection developed in Luberda's case through the bloodstream -- returning. If so, he would most certainly die.

Luberda explained that he was stricken with osteomyelitis in 2011. The disease greatly impacted his back and has led to four surgeries with an array of rods and screws, leaving him with degenerative disc disease.

A Chicago native, Luberda did heavy lifting in his job at a foundry, got into truck driving for a short period of time, and eventually landed work at MPP -- a metal protection plating company in Du Quoin -- when he moved to the region in 2006.

Now 58, Luberda, who has no family, lives in a small, yet neat home in Dowell with his 15-year-old Mexican Chihuahua, Dinger.

"I just want to have a little of my life back. I want to be able to go to the store, or go fishing. Instead, I've been pretty much stuck inside this house all day, every day ... watching TV and looking at these four walls to pass the time."

According to the Illinois Department of Public health, opioids are the most commonly misused type of prescription medication in the U.S. Unsafe prescribing and dispensing practices, such as combining opioids and benzodiazepines, greatly increase the risk of opioid use disorder and fatal overdose.

"I understand the other side of the issue," Luberda said. "There is a real concern about opioid abuse, but not everyone is an abuser. I'm not an abuser. I'm the victim here."

Luberda said it is his hope that Illinois legislators will learn of his problem and take corrective steps to protect patients like him.

But it will be no easy road.

The National Conference of State Legislatures recently reported in a letter that using opioids to treat acute pain can lead to long-term use.

"The likelihood of long-term use increases based on the length of the initial prescription, according to the CDC," the report states. "In fact, the likelihood of long-term use increases sharply after the third and fifth days of taking a prescription, and spikes again after the 31st day. According to the CDC, long-term use also increases with a second prescription or refill, a 700 morphine milligram equivalents (MME) cumulative dose, and an initial 10- or 30-day supply."

Luberda said he feels like a prisoner.

"I'd rather not be taking any pain medications at all, but I have no choice," he said. "Pain is what I'm dealing with -- every day. The Tramadol helps me get through the day. If that's taken away, and I'm forced to get on a pain pump, assuming that I qualify for one ... I don/'t know. I don't want to die. I'm only 58."